A Hero named Robin
by ZH9
Summary: Heroes,with their secretive ways,have always interested him. And now Jason is faced with the choice of becoming one of their apprentices! However he does not realize the Heroes as well as helping those in need do so much more. Now Jason Todd a simple ward under the care at castle arrow is flung in to a word full of training both his body and mind under the new identity.


**Hi I am ZH9! And this is my Fanfiction (and yes this is the edited version of chapter 1). This Chapter was edited by my beta Ardoa88 who has beautiful writing and grammar, I urge you to follow her fav her and all that good stuff.**

 **Constructive criticism is very much welcome!**

 **Disclaimer: I have no money and do not own Batman or Ranger's Apprentice. Please do not sew me.**

A Hero named Robin

Chapter 1

"Jason at least try to eat something. I know you're nervous and all, but don't you think it's time to get over it?" Benny said, trying to make convocation with a less-than-impressed Jason.

Jason ignored him. Benny was simply annoying him because… well, Benny didn't need a reason to annoy anyone, it was sort of his hobby. A hobby which forced Jason to suppress the overwhelming urge to punch the small, annoying boy.

Benny, however, took the silence as an invitation to carry on blethering about Jason's unease, which- unsurprisingly- made the urge to punch Benny even stronger. "Oh come on, Jason. Just stop being a baby and suck it up," Benny teased nudging Jason in the side, Jason gritted his teeth and counted back from ten. Meditation tactics had proved highly effective in countering the desire to smash that smug grin off Benny's face.

What gave him the right to tell Jason what to do? Benny wasn't his Mother; If Jason decided he wouldn't eat his food, he sure as hell wouldn't! And after living with each other for practically their whole lives, everyone should've known Jason never ate under stress.

"Come on Jay! You better eat up, you don't want to faint when we meet the Craftmasters do you?" Lucy another one of Jason's 'Lunch buddies' chimed in. She was much kinder about the idea, using her ever present reasoning skills to sway a decision. Usually her calm and collected manner would be enough to convince Jason to comply. But not today. Jason's' eye twitched, for the umpteenth time he wished everyone would just let him be. But no! Even Lucy was trying to force him to eat. What did a guy have to do to get a break around here?

Even so, refusing to talk didn't seem to be the answer.

The three were quiet, waiting expectantly for him to sit and join them in the usual icy silence, until Jason growled "Go away".

Lucy and Benny blinked, surprised at the uncharacteristic reply. Typically the boy would just moodily ignore their requests until realizing he was in the wrong. "Stop gawking at me I'm not some oddball!" Jason snarled.

Lucy was the first to react, ripping apart her bread roll and offering the half loaf to Jason with a soft, yet commanding "Eat." Eying the food, Jason eventually relented, reaching out for the roll and begrudgingly chewing the stiff grain.

"Happy?" he said in between chews, determined to get in the last word.

Benny shuddered and mockingly placed a hand up to Jason's mouth, saying, "Please Jason, I know you're grumpy and all but I'd rather not see the chewed up mound of soggy, saliva-covered, butter bread in your mouth".

Jason was about to retort, but Lucy beat him to it with a gagging noise, "Benny." she said pointedly, glaring at the younger boy, "Never. Never describe anything like that to me again. Especially when we're still eating." She added pointedly.

Finishing the bread Jason licked Benny hand, causing him to pull it away instantly. "What the heck Jason! Why would you do that?" He shrieked wiping his hand on his pants; as if the action were somehow able to nullify what had just transpired.

Jason just shrugged, deciding to sit and listen to Lucy chuckle and Benny complain extensively of Jason table manners- or rather, lack thereof. Slowly, towards the end of Benny's speech about the proper etiquette for Young Men such as Jason, Lucy decided to change the topic; a fact that Jason was truly grateful for.

"I'm guessing everyone's excited for tomorrow?" she said after finishing off the last of her grapes.

"I wouldn't say excited, I already know I've got my place with the diplomats. Really it's just a matter of wait now." Benny said flicking a few crumbs at Jason, "Tomorrow will just be a formality."

"And you Jason? I guess you're still planning to join the military" Lucy said curling her hair around her finger. Unlike Benny and Roy, she didn't really dismiss the idea that he could get in. No doubt she found it highly improbable he would be accepted, but Lucy- at least- had the tact not to shoot down his dream.

Jason was about to defend his decision when he was cut off by a very familiar, pompous voice saying, "Of course he isn't Lucy I mean look at him! It's Jason we're talking about. This guy could get knocked over by the wind! I doubt they would even consider him to be their errand boy. Face it, the only place Jason will end up is in some boring farm mucking out stables and throwing slop to the pigs."

Outraged, Lucy stood and glared at the late arrival. "Roy! Don't be horrible! I think Jason would be a great addition to the military" Lucy flashed an encouraging smile towards the 'great addition' in question.

Roy snorted at this and made a show of inspecting Jason from head to toe, "I bet Jason couldn't even come close to me in a fight."

Jason stayed quiet, so what if he was smaller than Roy? He knew he could still run circles around his ginger freckled a** all day long. Jason even guessed that Roy wouldn't be able to realize he'd be running around him for the first five laps; after all, the taller boy was mostly muscle- not brain.

But wouldn't it be great to knock him down a few pegs? To rid him of that high horse he always seemed to be trotting around on? Jason couldn't have Lucy fighting his battles; Jason was going to be in the Military for crying out loud. He didn't need Lucy or any of the other wards to help him out.

So what if he wasn't big or strong, he was certainly brave and that he though made up for it two times over.

Although, bravery and foolishness were commonly confused.

Ever so slowly, Jason rose from the hard wooden bench and walked over to Roy. Roy looked down at him, perplexed, but Jason only smiled back in return. A second later he had his arm swinging back, heading straight towards Roy! That was his first mistake: Roy was about a foot taller than Jason, meaning Jason's punch- which was meant to land somewhere close to his face- ended up pinging harmlessly off of his shoulder.

"Oops…" Jason muttered feeling the bravery fading away like ice under the sun.

Thud.

Jason slammed into the ground after a perfectly aimed kick to his gut from Roy. Roy laughed and shouted, "Just stay there Jason, it will help you adapt to where you really belong, on the floor."

Gripping his stomach in pain, Jason listened to Roy list more reasons why Jason was useless and unfit to be part of the military. Vaguely he could hear Lucy admonishing the older boy but that didn't stop Roy. Jason soon found himself believing the bigger boy's words. There was no way he would make it into the Military, let alone secure an apprenticeship in any of the other crafts.

He wasn't good with any type of animal, let alone horses so that ruled him out of working for the Horsemaster; tending to the mounts the knights rode off into battle was the next best if he couldn't enter the Military. And he couldn't cook like Lucy so that was another no go. And there was absolutely no way he'd make it as a diplomat. Unlike Benny, who had a quick tongue, Jason's short temperament wouldn't bode well for diplomatic missions.

The only thing left would be to work the fields as a farmhand.

Eventually, Jason was able to stagger up and face Roy; deciding to get in the last word with a final insult, "Fuck you!"

Jason was 50 percent sure he was asleep. The other 50 percent of his mind was preoccupied with being knocked out. After all, it wouldn't be the first time. But then the memories of last night's events came flooding back.

Shit.

Of course, with Jason being Jason, this was the first word that came to mind. He was also sure that- if he was indeed conscious at the moment- he would be as red as a blushing bride. How could he have been so stupid? That was a question not even Jason himself could have answered. But if Jason had to guess he would of put it down to his temper. His temper seemed to get him into trouble quite frequently. However, whenever his emotions did lose control, it never resulted in him being unconcious.

Unless it involved Roy… Which, this time, it did.

He remembered cursing out Roy, seeing the bigger boy's face flush, and then… Jason was rendered unconscious, with a possible black eye from Roy's well-placed hit. If he was fully conscious he would have sighed, but, as it were, he had to manage with mentally groaning.

Jason hadn't even gotten a chance to finish his lunch for God sake! But then again it wasn't like he had planned on eating much of it. Maybe he'd sneak down and grab a bread roll from the kitchen later, even if he risked the very prominent possibility of it coming back up the way it came from nerves.

And of course the matter of the Craftmasters came back to his forethought. The notion of not getting chosen made Jason's skin crawl. If he wasn't accepted in the Military it would mean all that he had dreamed of- wielding a massive sword, riding gallantly to the rescue, the glory of battle- would vanish into nothing more than false hopes that are never realized.

Jason decided he wouldn't think about it anymore, instead deciding to embrace the sweet blissfulness of sleep or, rather, unconsciousness. Either way, he'd rather not wake up in a bad mood the following morning.

The next day was very tense and the morning meal had the wards divided up into two tables, Roy and Jason's. However neither of them wanted to start a fight or argument so some sort of a temporary truce had been silently agreed upon. Lucy and Jason sat at the left of the kitchen while Roy and Benny stayed as far as possible on the right.

After a little glaring match with Roy, Jason started to make small talk with Lucy. "So, are you ready to impress the Craftmasters?" Jason said, popping an orange slice into his mouth; Lucy replied with a curt nod and went back to sipping her milk.

Her awkwardness at sitting next to Jason was apparent in her manner, as the usually cheerful, talkative girl was quite subdued. All Jason could do was appear to be interested in their 'conversation'.

"Not one for talking today then?" Jason chanced, and this time Lucy chuckled, shaking her head in disagreement.

"Not at all, I just thought that you may have wanted to have a quiet breakfast. You didn't exactly have the best of days yesterday".

Jason shrugged, "I've had worse. I mean all I got is a black eye, and it's not even the most sizable one I've had. It didn't even hurt to tell you the truth." The last bit was said loudly so it carried across the room to the right table.

Lucy seemed to look at Jason for a long time before admonishing, "You say that as if it's something to be proud of."

Jason shrugged off her disappointment, deciding he liked her better when she wasn't talking.

A few minutes passed of them eating in silence, then Lucy suddenly grew tense. Jason noticed the change and made a feeble attempt at a joke, "What? You see a ghost or something?" She slapped him playfully on the arm and replied, "No…"

This was not the answer Jason was hoping for though. So he tried once more, opting for earnest concern instead of humor. "Lucy what is it?" This time Lucy just gave him a pointed look as if to say 'why not turn around and look for yourself?' which was followed by Jason gesturing to his plate of food.

Lucy rolled her eye at him and began her description, her eyes casually glancing around as she talked. Jason knew in reality the girl was sneaking peeks at the man behind them, masking her curiosity with her overall movements. "It's one of the masked hero guy's. I'm not really sure which one…" she trailed off but Jason made a 'well carry on' face and she continued, "he's dressed in almost all black and there's a little red bird across the chestplate."

Jason quickly scanned the names of hero in his head and soon came up with 'Nightwing,' the previous Boy Wonder, Robin, and sidekick of the most famous Hero of all: Batman.

But the question remained, what was he doing here? Heroes weren't usually seen in castles and especially in the castle kitchens were all the wards and servants ate. "Who is it Jay?" Lucy said her eyes flicking over in what Jason guessed to be the direction of Nightwing.

"I think it's the Ex-Robin" he said sounding very amused.

"The Robin?!" Lucy said eyes almost bulging out her head. Jason nodded and finished the rest of his orange, "Yup but I hear he no longer goes by the name of the boy wonder or wear those tiny p***. If I remember right he ditched the one-piece for that more battle ready suit and changed his name to Nightwing".

Lucy nodded along "I think I remember hearing about that now… didn't he have a fight with Batman?"

Now this was news to Jason, "He did?" he said a bit too loud. He was soon hushed by Lucy, "Great, now he'd staring at us."

"You do know he can probably read lips." Jason said, smirking at her reaction.

"Well, he must know my half of the convocation then, because he was looking at us from time-to-time earlier" Lucy said. Jason shrugged nonchalantly, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Out".

The town of Arkham wasn't big but it was big enough for everyone to enjoy the marketplace and spend their leisure days wandering through the parks or the downtown area. But there is a darker side to Arkham, one which many people tended to avoid. Luckily, or unluckily, for Jason he had made it his number one, go-to destination: Not even the great Roy would follow him through the dark alleys and trash-covered streets.

Jason was in his favourite place on the roofs; he sat reading one of the many books he'd stolen- rather, 'borrowed' from the castle library. His vantage was so high he'd be visited by the birds; a grimy tiling here, and an occasional pigeon there. The reason Jason came to this particular rooftop during his free time was because the old building was where he lived before he was found by the castle guards. Unlike the others, Jason found it hard to be afraid of a place he'd spent a few years of his life living in.

"So boring…" Jason said flinging the copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream aside.

A pigeon flew down and pecked at the book. With a smile, Jason mused, "Hmm... a bird with a good taste in literature? So, Mr. Pidgeon, what's your favourite part of the play?"

Unsurprisingly, he received no reply, but Jason decided to crawl over and grab the book back anyway, saying, "Perhaps I'll read some for you. I've got nothing better to do with my spare time."

"'Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.' And I really cannot be bothered to read anymore; if I don't get some new reading material soon I fear I may die from rereading the same boring love square." Jason sighed, throwing the book aside and startling Mr. Pigeon as he flew off.

"Help!"

Jason ran to the edge of the building and looked down at where the cry had come from. Down in the street below, a woman was pressed up against a wall, surrounded by two men. What the young woman was doing out in a place like this was beyond Jason, but the two men cornering her made his blood boil. They reminded him of Roy. Quickly climbing down the emergency escape ladder, Jason hastily put together a plan.

Get down, shout or say something cocky to the men and maybe kick their asses. But only if he doesn't get his kicked first.

Once down, Jason shouted at the top of his lungs "Oi! Fugly, do you two really think that poor woman appreciates your stale, onion breath? I mean damn, that's a punishment worse than death! But I'm guessing your personal hygiene isn't your top priority, especially when you could be ganging up on a defenceless woman, you sleazy bitch!"

This defiantly gained their attention as they froze in place, turning in sync to face the newcomer. Jason gulped, wishing he'd had a better plan. Now that he could see them head on, he saw they were much more muscular than Roy. Fugly number one had a bulging tattoo of an anchor on his upper left forearm and Fugly number two sprouted a mohawk. They were both dressed in the latest outfit from Thugs Weekly; sleeveless t-shirts and black combat boots to compliment equally dark cargo pants.

"Did you 'ere what he called us, Dan?" Fugly number one said.

"Yeah Bob, I reckon someone need's a lesson on how things work around 'ere." Dan, otherwise known as fugly number two, said.

Yup, not the best plan Jason had ever made… he was pretty sure he was shaking and about to pee himself but he had to stand his ground. If he didn't do it here, how could he face himself later with the Military Craftmaster.

When in doubt, talk your way out, as Benny was fond of saying.

"Awww… is the wittle baby b-butt hurt?" Jason stuttered, feigning a confidence he'd just lost.

"Well someone's going to end up butt hurt kid and it sure isn't gonna be one of us two."

The warm trickle inside his trousers alerted Jason to the fact his bladder was as frightened as he felt. Then Jason noticed the woman they had been about to mug had made a run for it, all that remained of her presence was the fading sounds of her heels clicking on the ground.

He was well and truly on his own. With a hard swallow, Jason held up his hands, "H-Hey guys, why don't we talk about this like men?".


End file.
